Transcript Highlights:

• of the members present and voting in the House or Senate.
• This would align the crossover date for resolutions with the crossover date for bills, so crossover would
• be crossover for all bills and all resolutions.
• Is this just committee participation, or is this floor vote participation as well?
• You could vote on it.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: Legislative Management met with a quorum, approved the July 11, 2025 minutes, and then considered recommendations from the Legislative Procedures and Arrangements Committee. Beth Dittes explained proposed special session rule changes, which largely mirror prior special session rules and are intended to speed floor action. The changes would allow faster second readings and transmission between chambers, replace regular standing committees with two joint committees for the special session—Joint Appropriations and Joint Policy—and limit bill introduction methods. The package also included delayed-effective-date changes for the next regular session, such as moving the agency and Supreme Court prefile deadline earlier and advancing several resolution deadlines. Liz Fordall then reviewed revisions to the legislative workplace harassment policy, including clarified definitions, longer intake and review deadlines, an option for informal resolution before a review panel, and clearer disclosure rules. The committee adopted the report and forwarded the rules and policy changes. The committee also approved tentative first-day special session agendas for both chambers, with a Speaker-requested revision to allow time to swear in new House members. Megan Gordon outlined the schedule: early Rules Committee meetings, morning floor sessions, a joint session for the governor’s State of the State, then meetings of the joint appropriations and policy committees, with optional later floor and committee time. Members discussed how the joint committees would handle bills and confirmed the process would mirror the prior special session. The agendas were adopted. Chairman Bekkedahl then reported for the Rural Health Transformation Committee, which had completed its work and recommended five bill drafts for the special session: a Presidential Physical Fitness Test requirement for schools, a nutrition component for physician continuing education, joining a physician assistant licensure compact, expanding pharmacist scope for lab testing and prescribing, and a two-year appropriations bill to cover the program through the next regular session. He explained the federal rural health transformation grant, the state’s application, funding restrictions, and the need to keep the bills aligned with CMS requirements to avoid funding reductions or clawbacks. DHS officials said the department would measure outcomes through required metrics, use templates for awards, and set up an Office of Health Transformation to track long-term impacts. The committee adopted the rural health report and forwarded the bills. Finally, members discussed special-session logistics. Legislative staff said employment committees would approve a limited number of staff, Legislative Management would serve as the delayed-bills committee, and a letter would be sent to legislators explaining the process and a suggested Friday noon drafting deadline for bills to be considered at the January 20 meeting. The committee also discussed how many bills might be introduced and how to assign the rural health bills to the House or Senate for origin. No formal vote was taken on those logistics, and the meeting adjourned with plans to reconvene on January 20.

Transcript Highlights:

• With the Voting Rights Act.
• They said, well, it's not a constitutional right to vote. Preserve, to create a crossover district.
• They said, well, it's not a constitutional right to vote. Preserve, to create a crossover district.
• My vote is my voice.
• I do not vote along party lines. I vote for a candidate, not a party.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, the vote is, uh, looks like one absent and one no. So the vote is 23 to 20 to 1.
• So the vote is 23 to absent and one no. So the vote is 23 to 20<00:06:20.720><c> to1.
• The vote is 14 to 10. Chair Wiler, yes. The vote is 14 to 10.
• The vote is 18 to 7. Vote being 18 to 7.
• Vote being 18 to 7. The motion passes 7. Vote being 18 to 7.

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The Finance Committee first took up Senate Bill 63, which Representative Maguire described as a straightforward bill setting funding for the Division of Travel and Tourism. He said it was not controversial. The committee voted to retain the bill by roll call, with one no vote and one member absent, and the motion passed 23-1-1. The committee then considered Senate Bill 74, dealing with annual reporting requirements for state departments that issue permits. Representative Maguire explained Amendment 2282 would shorten the reporting burden by requiring summary data on delayed permits rather than listing every permit, and would delay the first report until 2027 so agencies would not have to reconstruct old data. The amendment was adopted by voice vote, and the bill was then approved as amended by a 24-1 roll call vote. Next, the committee heard Senate Bill 241 on construction of a public pier at Hampton Beach. Representative Sweeney moved inexpedient to legislate, saying the project was ambitious and lacked public support. The motion passed unanimously 25-0, sending the bill to consent. Division Two then took up Senate Bill 145, a replace-all amendment to the education freedom account bill. Supporters said the amendment clarified the bill, kept the policy intact, removed a reimbursement program and an open-ended appropriation, and established a cap of 10,000 students with priority for current students and certain other groups. Opponents argued the measure was still a major expansion, would increase spending after crossover, and that the cap was not meaningful. After discussion, Amendment 2301H was adopted and the bill was approved as amended by a 25-0 vote, with members noting it could go on consent because no money remained in it.

Transcript Highlights:

• I vote aye. Aye. Okay. I vote aye. Members, four ayes, three nays, zero not voting.
• I vote yes.
• Without a vote, aye. I'll explain my vote. You may.
• I vote yes.
• I vote yes. Members, I vote four to three with zero not voting.

Summary: The committee approved the February 4, 2026 minutes and first held SB 1571. It then heard and advanced SB 1745, which would cap transaction privilege/excise tax rates in cities of 550,000 or more at 2.5% per classification unless voters approve a higher rate, with enforcement through the attorney general and state-shared revenue withholding for violations. Supporters argued it would protect taxpayers and restrain large-city tax increases; the bill was amended with a technical change and passed 4-3. The committee also advanced SB 1686, renaming Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza as the Wesley Bolin and Charlie Kirk Freedom Plaza and authorizing memorial placements for Don Bowles and Charlie Kirk, which passed 4-3. The committee then took up SB 1567 and SB 1435, both aimed at restricting public entities, schools, and libraries from exposing minors to sexually explicit materials and from using public facilities for sexually explicit filming or access. Supporters said the bills were needed to prevent children from being exposed to pornography and to keep taxpayer resources from facilitating such material; opponents, including the ACLU, warned the definitions were broad, could chill speech, and could criminalize librarians and educators for handling literary or educational works. Both bills were amended and passed 4-3. SB 1435 also drew testimony about library access, sex education, and the risk of overbroad enforcement. The committee next considered SB 1433 and SB 1434, which would reorganize Maricopa County boundaries. SB 1433 would move portions of Maricopa County into neighboring counties, while SB 1434 would split Maricopa County into three new counties with a transition board and special elections. Supporters argued Maricopa County had become too large and unmanageable and that smaller counties would improve representation and water and regional governance; opponents said the proposals were costly, disruptive, and politically motivated. Both measures received due pass recommendations, with SB 1433 passing 4-3 and SB 1434 passing 4-3 with one not voting. Finally, the committee approved SCR 1024, requiring legislators to live in their district for one year before election, and SCR 1025, moving the legislative session start to the fourth Monday in January; both resolutions passed unanimously or near-unanimously, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• </c> members want to uh join us for the vote. members want to uh join us for the vote.
• Get Vice Chair for the vote. >> Members voting on HB 2240.
• Representative Miyagi. chair for the vote. chair for the vote.
• </c><00:35:24.240><c> Representative</c> vice chair vote I. Representative vice chair vote I.
• If not, Vice Chair for the vote. >> Voting on HB 2273 HD1. Recommendation is to pass unamended.

Bills: HB2240, HB2272, HB2273, HB2274, HB2275

Keywords: appropriations, legislative expenses, auditor, legislative reference bureau, state ethics commission, ombudsman, government transparency, HB2272, Act 026, public employment cost items, emergency appropriations, collective bargaining, bargaining unit 11, BU-11, state employees, excluded employees, salary increases, cost adjustments, health premium payments, benefits

Transcript Highlights:

• Okay, y'all get to vote the button. Somebody said no. Clerk will close the row.
• That's a recorded vote. Clerk will close the roll. Ayes 92, no 0.
• Block voting for judges and other judicial officers will now commence.
• In terms of eight years, commencing on the date specified, vote yes.
• This is a recorded vote if you're in the break room. Clerk will open the roll.

Keywords: March 13, 2026 - Regular Session, 976, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• I will answer to any title as long as you vote for my bills.
• This bill has passed the Senate unanimously and certainly look forward to having your vote today.
• Do we have a favorable vote also for SB 149? Wait, wait, wait, wait a minute. Wait, wait.
• </c> &gt;&gt; Any comments before we take a vote? &gt;&gt; Any comments before we take a vote?
• &gt;&gt; Do we have a favorable vote also for SP1?

Bills: HB306, SB149, SB158, HB323, HB362, HB306, SB149, SB158, HB323, HB362

Keywords: education, patriotism, national anthem, Star-Spangled Banner, K-12 schools, constitutional amendment, public works, sealed bids, bidding requirements, procurement, public notice, newspaper advertisement, advertising failure, publisher liability, civil damages, criminal liability, awarding authority, county government, municipal government, construction contracts

Transcript Highlights:

• Uh, you most of you guys voted for it unanimously out of public health and it was voted off the house
• That's 141 members voting.
• I voted for this bill last session, so I haven't heard anybody come to our office to be against the bill
• And with that, members, I respect favorable consideration of HB 499 and reserve the right to vote.

Bills: HB713, HB827, HB932, HB499, HB510, HB163, HB296, HB879, HB913, HB163, HB296

Keywords: healthcare, maternal health, reporting requirements, Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee, health provider immunity, workplace violence, nurses, grant program, healthcare facilities, safety measures, safety, nursing, grants, healthcare safety, verbal abuse, physical abuse, nurse empowerment, occupational therapy, licensure, interstate practice

Transcript Highlights:

• The federal government might enforce one-person, one-vote principles for the Voting Rights Act, but state
• legislatures did... ...one vote principles for the Voting Rights Act, but state legislatures didn't
• Voting age is needed when evaluating redistricting plans for compliance with the Voting Rights Act.
• or Decision on how to apply such claims of influence or crossover or coalition voting.
• The Court was dealing with how to define what constitutes vote dilution under Section 2 of the Voting

Summary: The Senate Committee on the Census held a hearing on July 7, 2026 focused on how the census defines and tabulates race and ethnicity for redistricting. The sole witness, Professor Jeffrey Weiss, reviewed the history of Public Law 94-171, the Voting Rights Act, and Census Bureau race categories, explaining how block-level census data has been central to one-person, one-vote compliance and to enforcing Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. He described the evolution from separate race and Hispanic-origin tabulations to multiracial reporting, the addition of voting-age and citizen voting-age data, and the increasing complexity created by coalition districts and multiracial populations. A major theme was uncertainty about Census 2030. Weiss said the federal government is considering changes to race and ethnicity questions, possible elimination of the MENA category, reduced multiracial detail, and discontinuation of differential privacy, while also discussing a possible citizenship question and other procedural changes coming through the Commerce Department rather than the Census Bureau. He warned that these shifts, combined with staffing cuts, reduced outreach, and scaled-back testing, could affect the availability and granularity of redistricting data and may trigger litigation. Committee members pressed him on the Biden-era revisions, the Trump administration’s current actions, and whether future data might have to be reported at a higher geographic level if block-level privacy protections are removed. Weiss also summarized Supreme Court redistricting doctrine, describing the move from Baker v. Carr and Reynolds v. Sims to the Gingles framework, then to later decisions limiting race-conscious districting, including Shelby County, Rucho, and the recent Louisiana v. Calais decision. He said Calais significantly narrowed federal Section 2 protections but does not directly preempt state voting rights acts, which he noted are being adopted in several states and may still allow coalition-based protections. The hearing ended after questions from the chair and vice chair, with no votes or formal committee actions taken, and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• The federal government might enforce one-person, one-vote principles for the Voting Rights Act, but state
• Voting age is needed when evaluating redistricting plans for compliance with the Voting Rights Act.
• with the newly created Voting Rights Act.
• or Decision on how to apply such claims of influence or crossover or coalition voting.
• The Court was dealing with how to define what constitutes vote dilution under section of the Voting Rights

Keywords: 1212, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You would have had to have done the roll prior to the vote. So, Representative Romero, Mr.
• We're not going to vote. You made the motion? And who seconded it, Dow? So we had like a third?
• We're not going to vote. You made the motion? And who seconded it, Dow? So we had like a third?
• Can you focus on and talk about how there is crossover or there is no crossover related to the feed sources
• Can you focus on and talk about how there is is crossover or there is no crossover related to the feed

Summary: The committee first received a detailed New Mexico DOT District 5 presentation from Rhonda Lopez. She reviewed District 5’s budget, staffing vacancies, completed and ongoing special appropriations from 2020 through 2025, active construction projects, maintenance work, STIP and local government funding, and equipment needs. Members asked about a guardrail issue near U.S. 64, the status of the 5% local match for Transportation Project Fund projects, and the New Mexico 371/Navajo Route 36 intersection; DOT said the match agreements were in place or waived where eligible, and that the Navajo Nation funding agreement was nearly finalized. The chair then moved the agenda to bills before finishing the remaining presentations later. House Bill 270, dealing with contributions to apprenticeship and training programs on public works projects, was presented by Rep. Borrego as a follow-up to the 2024 workforce development and apprenticeship trust fund law. The bill would remove an exclusion for street, highway, bridge, road, utility, and maintenance contracts and require contributions unless a trade classification has no approved apprenticeship program. Associated Contractors and the Asphalt Pavement Association opposed the bill, arguing it would raise road project costs and duplicate existing training programs. Members raised concerns about notice, added costs, and whether contractors with existing programs would be paying twice. A motion to table failed on a tie vote, and a later motion to pass also failed on a tie vote, leaving the bill in committee and available for reconsideration. Ranking Member Brown then presented House Bill 322, which would create a transportation trust fund and transportation program fund, with a planned distribution beginning in 2029, including a 5% use for federal matching funds. The bill would also dedicate a portion of the gross receipts tax on electricity and redirect part of the motor vehicle excise tax to grow the fund. Associated Contractors and the Asphalt Pavement Association supported the concept, saying it would help sustain DOT and address the state’s road maintenance gap. Members questioned the electricity tax component, its effect on ratepayers and data centers, the interaction with SB 2 and bond financing, and how projects would be prioritized. A motion to pass failed on a tie vote, and the ranking member suggested the bill could be reconsidered with an amendment removing the electricity portion. The committee then heard a District 4 DOT presentation from assistant district engineer Cruz Sudoste, covering the district’s geography, budget, staffing, completed and active projects, STIP and local government programs, and equipment replacement needs. Members asked about school district uses of transportation project funds and the impact of aging equipment on repair costs. The presentation concluded without any vote or other action on the district report.

Transcript Highlights:

• amendment and then I have a slightly more controversial thing to say, but I hope it won't affect your vote
• that apparently $1 million of the $2 million dollars that we allocated towards dual status youth or crossover
• youth</c><00:03:46.239><c> or</c> towards um dual status youth or towards um dual status youth or crossover
• 47.360><c> um</c><00:03:47.760><c> which</c><00:03:47.959><c> are</c><00:03:48.040><c> children</c> crossover
• youth um which are children crossover youth um which are children involved<00:03:48.800><c> in</c><00

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee took up House File 1082, which was being handled as the committee budget bill. Members first reconsidered and then adopted the previously approved DE4 amendment so the bill could be updated with a new amendment package. The committee then adopted several amendments, including A4, a technical reviser’s amendment; A3, which added LELS representatives to a task force related to House File 3095; and A9, which extended a spending deadline for a Ramsey County appropriation tied to dual status youth/crossover youth programming. Vice Chair Feist said the deadline change was needed because the original grant timing had been shortened, and she also criticized delays in spending youth justice funds. The committee also adopted A11, which Chair Mohler described as language previously seen in the domestic violence policy/task force bill, narrowed from an indefinite period to 28 days and then to 14 days for the gun-on-arrival arrest provision. A12 was then adopted to continue work on Department of Corrections changes related to the MinCorp program from House File 4031. A Department of Corrections representative explained that a disputed provision no longer used a percentage but instead used a ratio, and that the language reflected stakeholder agreement; a member confirmed the relevant line numbers and raised no objection. After the amendments were adopted, the committee withdrew the DE4 version, adopted the DE6 amendment as amended, and then re-referred House File 1082 as amended to the Ways and Means Committee. All motions were approved by voice vote, with no recorded opposition.

Transcript Highlights:

• So I will um be voting application.
• And voting to support ITL doesn't make the problem go away.
• And voting to support ITL doesn't make the problem go away.
• Yes. >> Clerk votes yes. >> Representative Tremblay. Yes. >> Representative Knab.
• Uh which will be from Crossover.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you, no vote. So ordered. Representative Alcos, no vote. So ordered.
• Thank you, no vote. So ordered. Representative Alcos, no vote. So ordered.
• votes</c><00:55:36.920><c> been</c> no have all votes been no have all votes been cast<00:55:39.200>
• vote</c><00:56:39.480><c> so</c> Representative alos no vote so Representative alos no vote so ordered
• Representative Pierick, no vote. Members, we will be taking a voice vote.

Keywords: 910, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Seeing no debate, vote will now occur. Finish what I post. Measure vote.
• I ask for your yes vote today. That concludes debate. Vote will now occur.
• If you fate measure vote, pose a measure vote. Nay clerk will call roll.
• And I would ask for a yes vote that concludes debate. Vote without a curfew.
• The vote will now occur. Very measure vote. I pose measure vote in a clerk will call the roll.

Bills: SB1450, SB1458, SB1232, SB1238, SB1325, SB1209, SB1362, SB2072, SB1451, SB1540, SB1581, SB1535, SB1266, SB1927, SB1460, SB2084, SB2182

Keywords: criminal court costs, court fees, fines, assessments, waiver, ability to pay, indigent defendants, post-release relief, probation compliance, parole, deferred sentence, suspended sentence, restitution, child support, municipal court, district court, criminal justice reform, court debt, legal financial obligations, fee waiver

Transcript Highlights:

• Vote will now occur. If you favor the measure, vote aye; opposed, vote nay.
• Vote will now occur. If you favor the measure, vote aye; opposed, vote nay.
• Vote will now occur. If you favor the measure, vote aye; opposed, vote nay.
• Vote will now occur. If you favor the measure, vote aye; opposed, vote nay.
• Vote will now occur. If you favor the measure, vote aye; opposed, vote nay.

Bills: SB1450, SB1458, SB1232, SB1238, SB1325, SB1209, SB1362, SB2072, SB1451, SB1540, SB1581, SB1535, SB1266, SB1927, SB1460, SB2084, SB2182

Keywords: criminal court costs, court fees, fines, assessments, waiver, ability to pay, indigent defendants, post-release relief, probation compliance, parole, deferred sentence, suspended sentence, restitution, child support, municipal court, district court, criminal justice reform, court debt, legal financial obligations, fee waiver

Summary: The Senate Judiciary Committee met with a quorum and considered a long series of bills, mostly on criminal justice, elections, civil procedure, and higher education liability. Early measures included SB 1450, allowing judges to waive certain fines and fees for people who have completed probation or incarceration, with an amendment requiring a request and a judicial order; SB 1458, repealing a statute that allowed disclosure of grand jury witnesses; SB 1232, increasing penalties for tower vandalism and copper theft; SB 1238, making domestic assault and battery in the presence of a minor a felony on the first offense; and SB 1325, requiring GPS monitoring and victim-alert protections for certain domestic abuse defendants before release. All of those bills advanced, most on strong or unanimous votes, though SB 1458 and SB 1232 each had one nay. The committee also advanced SB 1209, which adjusted eviction-related civil procedure timelines by replacing “weekends” with Sundays and holidays in the filing-to-summons period, and SB 1362, which standardized early voting hours across the state’s consolidated election schedule, with Thursdays through Saturdays set at 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Wednesdays retained for general elections. Members asked about the effect on landlords, voters, rural counties, and staffing, and the authors said the changes were intended to improve consistency and give more time for payment or mediation. SB 2072, dealing with deed fraud and title theft, was amended to clarify that fee waivers apply to orders restoring title after a fraudulent conveyance, and then advanced unanimously. Later, the committee considered SB 1451, which adds a checkbox for prior voter registration, codifies cancellation of prior registrations, and requires an annual statistical report on registration notices; it advanced on a 6-2 vote after questions about whether the bill could burden voters. SB 1540 created a new felony offense for “grooming” a minor, prompting debate over whether existing indecent-proposal statutes already cover similar conduct; it advanced 7-1. SB 1581 extended the time for county grand jury initiative petitions from 45 to 90 days and added a protest period, and SB 1535 would adjust charity-enforcement procedures for the Attorney General; both advanced. The committee also advanced SB 1266, increasing penalties for violations of the anti-notario law, SB 1927, elevating unauthorized boarding or refusal to leave a school bus to a felony, SB 1460, strengthening penalties for repeat peeping Tom and clandestine recording offenses, and SB 2182, creating civil remedies for nonconsensual sharing of intimate images. SB 1618 was laid over, and the meeting adjourned with notice of another meeting the following week.

Transcript Highlights:

• Back in 2021, I spoke for 15 hours and seven minutes without food or water to defend voting rights.
• Members, the vote is now on final passage. The secretary will call the roll. Alvarado. Bettencourt.

Bills: SB 2, SB 5, SB 9, SB 7, SB 17, SB 4, HB4, HB1, HB3, HB20, HB22, SB9, SB7, SB17, SB4, HB4, SB2, SB5

Keywords: disaster relief, flood preparedness, emergency funding, local government support, meteorological forecasting, school assessment, public education, accountability, transparency, education standards, STAAR, Texas Education Agency, TEA, public school accountability, school ratings, A-F ratings, assessment reform, student testing, benchmark tests, interim assessments

Transcript Highlights:

• Are located in areas that have any polarized voting, racially polarized voting.
• But I understand, refineries don't vote. Hospitals don't vote. Other buildings don't vote.
• Workers there and their families vote. The people who have jobs there vote.
• Voting blocks. What voting blocks do we have here in the state of Texas? I'm sorry, voting blocks.
• Again, airports don't vote; people do vote.

Bills: SB 2, SB 5, SB 9, SB 7, SB 17, SB 4, HB4, HB1, HB3, HB20, HB22, SB9, SB7, SB17, SB4, HB4, SB2, SB5

Keywords: disaster relief, flood preparedness, emergency funding, local government support, meteorological forecasting, school assessment, public education, accountability, transparency, education standards, STAAR, Texas Education Agency, TEA, public school accountability, school ratings, A-F ratings, assessment reform, student testing, benchmark tests, interim assessments

Transcript Highlights:

• I drew maps based on historic voting of Republican and Democrat. voting patterns.
• Hispanic vote and Black voting power? I haven't seen any data suggesting that. No?
• I asked you then if you would have voted for a map that violated the Voting Rights Act.
• the Voting Rights Act?
• That's why you voted for those maps. Yes or no? I, at the time, voted.

Bills: SB 2, SB 5, SB 9, SB 7, SB 17, SB 4, HB4, HB1, HB3, HB20, HB22, SB9, SB7, SB17, SB4, HB4, SB2, SB5

Keywords: disaster relief, flood preparedness, emergency funding, local government support, meteorological forecasting, school assessment, public education, accountability, transparency, education standards, STAAR, Texas Education Agency, TEA, public school accountability, school ratings, A-F ratings, assessment reform, student testing, benchmark tests, interim assessments

Transcript Highlights:

• All, then voting must matter for all people.
• Vote in spite of, vote because of this.
• racially drawn, and within the Voting Rights Act.
• Law in 1965 in connection with the Voting Rights Act.
• The one-vote concept and the Voting Rights Act changed that and ushered in an era where we started to

Bills: SB 2, SB 5, SB 9, SB 7, SB 17, SB 4, HB4, HB1, HB3, HB20, HB22, SB9, SB7, SB17, SB4, HB4, SB2, SB5

Keywords: disaster relief, flood preparedness, emergency funding, local government support, meteorological forecasting, school assessment, public education, accountability, transparency, education standards, STAAR, Texas Education Agency, TEA, public school accountability, school ratings, A-F ratings, assessment reform, student testing, benchmark tests, interim assessments